In a future where the Earth’s surface has been irradiated beyond recognition, the remnants of humanity live above the clouds, safe from the brutal alien Scavengers that stalk the ruins. But when surface drone repairman Jak discovers a mysterious woman in a crash-landed pod, it sets off an unstoppable chain of events that will force him to question everything he knows.

Radical's Horizons will be penned by Karl Gajdusek, reports MovieWeb.com

Article by Brian Gallagher

Horizons Gets Writer Karl Gajdusek

Screenwriter Karl Gajdusek (Trespass) has been brought aboard to rewrite Horizons, a Disney project formerly known as Oblivion.

We reported in October that Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed) came on board to write the screenplay, which is based on the Radical Publishing graphic novel Oblivion. Now Karl Gajdusek is taking over the writing duties for the project, which centers on a soldier guarding a lifeless planet, who eventually encounters a mysterious traveler.

Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski is attached to direct. Radical Pictures, the movie arm of Radical Publishing, is teaming up with Disney for the project. Joseph Kosinski, Barry Levine, and Jeffrey Silver will produce.

No production schedule was given for Horizons, although it is said this is a high priority for Disney.

Radical's Horizons will be penned by Karl Gajdusek, reports MovieWeb.com

Article by Brian Gallagher

Horizons Gets Writer Karl Gajdusek

Disney's Oblivion becomes Horizons and lands writer Karl Gajdusek

Screenwriter Karl Gajdusek (Trespass) has been brought aboard to rewrite Horizons, a Disney project formerly known as Oblivion.

We reported in October that Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan (The Departed) came on board to write the screenplay, which is based on the Radical Publishing graphic novel Oblivion. Now Karl Gajdusek is taking over the writing duties for the project, which centers on a soldier guarding a lifeless planet, who eventually encounters a mysterious traveler.

Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski is attached to direct. Radical Pictures, the movie arm of Radical Publishing, is teaming up with Disney for the project. Joseph Kosinski, Barry Levine, and Jeffrey Silver will produce.

No production schedule was given for Horizons, although it is said this is a high priority for Disney.

We’ve written about Radical Publishing before: they’re the ones behind Aladdin, Legends, Caliber, and Shrapnel, among others. Many of their comics are for mature readers only, though, so some of them don’t always feel like the best fit for GeekDad. But I’ve enjoyed many of their series that I’ve read, so I’ll list just a few of them here that might be worthwhile:

Oblivion is a sci-fi story by Joseph Kosinski, the director of TRON: Legacy. This book is not actually a comic, but prose with illustrations—a picture book for adults, if you will. I picked up a preview with some sample art and the first chapter, and I’m looking forward to the finished book. The story is about a burnt-out planet overrun by savage aliens called Scavengers. The humans live up in the sky, sending drones down below to wipe out the Scavengers. Oblivion is due sometime this fall.

Time Bomb is a 3-part series (the first two are out now) by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, illustrated by Paul Gulacy. Archeologists discover a hidden Nazi city deep under Berlin, where Hitler’s doomsday device has waited dormant until now. When a team of scientists attempts to travel back in time just far enough to prevent the bomb from going off, they end up going back farther than intended, ending up in Nazi Germany at the height of Hitler’s power.

Mata Hari, by Rich Wilkes and Roy Martinez, is a historical fiction imagining the life of Mata Hari—sex symbol, double agent. But was she really a German spy, responsible for the deaths of 50,000 French soldiers? Or was she merely a scapegoat, executed as a sacrificial lamb to boost French morale? Of course, none of us know for sure. The case files are sealed until 2017—but until then, you can read Wilkes and Martinez’s best guess, coming next spring.

Radical has a number of other titles as well—some continuing series like Shrapnel and Hotwire, but plenty of new ones as well, ranging from sci-fi to horror. Visit their website to check out the rest.

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Tuesday September 14th, 2010

Comics Bulletin interviews Oblivion writer Arvid Nelson

Interview conducted by Charles Webb

Charles Webb: Could you give our readers a quick rundown on Oblivion?

Arvid Nelson: Not only can I, I will! In 2031, alien “Scavengers” sterilized the Earth and nearly wiped us out. But we fled to a giant orbiting space station and smashed the invaders. Now, thirty years later, the last remnants of the Scavs are cut off, dug into the crust of the planet. Jak and Vika are one of many two person teams monitoring and repairing drones hunting the aliens down. One day something falls out of the sky that turns their world upside down. More than that, I dare not say!

Webb: How did the project and your collaboration with director Joe Kosinski come about?

Nelson: I’ve known Barry Levine, the mastermind behind Radical Publishing, for a long time. He was the first person to show interest in adapting Rex Mundi, a comic of mine, into a film. Nine years later, Rex Mundi is finished and the adaptation is still humming along. Radical asked if I’d like to work on Oblivion, and how could I say no?

Webb: Your hero, Jak -- what’s his life like before he finds the pod? And after?

Nelson: Jak’s work puts his life in constant danger. But it’s a grind, too. There’s not a lot of variation. The pod changes everything. His life gets even more dangerous because of the pod, but it also offers him a way out of the endless tedium.

Webb: What were some of the inspirations for the project?

Nelson:Oblivion reminds me a lot of 1960s science fiction -- Planet of the Apes, Logan’s Run, and 2001, to name a few. But I think it’s and new and different, too. It’s definitely hard science fiction, something I don’t see enough of these days.

Webb: A lot of apocalyptic fiction seems to be dealing with environmental disasters but Oblivion appears to be returning to the idea of Earth becoming a nuclear wasteland. What went behind that choice?

Nelson: This story is all about playing with expectations. I love the idea of the humans being the invaders and the aliens hiding out on the Earth. Usually post-apocalyptic science fiction is a sort of morality tale; humans have brought the destruction on themselves. That’s not the case with Oblivion.

Webb: So I think the big question is: why was the illustrated novel approach the best one for Oblivion?

Nelson: To tell this story in comics would take years, literally. Doing it in prose, with all those beautiful paintings from Andrée, gives the best of both worlds -- the illustrations to crack open your head, and the directness of writing. I love children’s books like The Polar Express. That’s what Oblivion is, but for adults.

Webb: What was the collaborative process like working with artist Andrée Wallin?

Nelson: Andrée is, in a word, awesome. His drawings were incredibly inspirational for me as I wrote.

Webb: The illustrations are mostly going to be landscape renderings, right?

Nelson: Yeah, I think that’s where Andrée’s genius really shines brightest. But there will be plenty of great action shots, too.

Webb: To what degree can you speak about the recently-announced film from Disney? Has there been any movement on it in terms of casting, etc?

Nelson: Hah, that’s really not my area of expertise. I’m just trying to make the story the best it can be.

Webb: The book’s coming out next summer. Between now and then do you have some other projects you can tease for our readers?

Nelson: My first run on Queen Sonja is ending soon, and I’ll be starting a new story arc in issue sixteen. Excited for that, and also for an adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars novels -- both through Dynamite Comics. In my spare time I’m also working on my own novel, The Wolf Mage, which is based on Celtic and Norse mythology. And my love of heavy metal music.

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Posted by at 21:230 comments

Tuesday August 10th, 2010

Ain't It Cool News reviews Radical's Oblivion preview book

Review by Mark "Ambush Bug" Miller

Though the content of this preview book only offers a mere glimpse of TRON director Joseph Kosinski and REX MUNDI writer Arvid Nelson’s story of one of the last men on earth trying to protect what little is left of civilization from underground dwelling Scavenger aliens, what little this book does offer is a feast for the eyes. This is not really a comic per se, but an image and text book. This gives each and every page sing with Andree Wallin’s luscious landscape paintings filled with alien warcraft and desolate soldiers fighting the elements. There’s an overwhelming sense of equal parts dread and wonder in these solemn images and the story reflects that isolation in the sampling that I was able to read. OBLIVION won’t be out until next year and I can’t wait to soak up what looks to be an extremely gorgeous experiment in graphic illustration.

Posted by at 18:580 comments

Tuesday August 10th, 2010

Ain't It Cool News reviews Radical's Oblivion preview book

Review by Mark "Ambush Bug" Miller

Though the content of this preview book only offers a mere glimpse of TRON director Joseph Kosinski and REX MUNDI writer Arvid Nelson’s story of one of the last men on earth trying to protect what little is left of civilization from underground dwelling Scavenger aliens, what little this book does offer is a feast for the eyes. This is not really a comic per se, but an image and text book. This gives each and every page sing with Andree Wallin’s luscious landscape paintings filled with alien warcraft and desolate soldiers fighting the elements. There’s an overwhelming sense of equal parts dread and wonder in these solemn images and the story reflects that isolation in the sampling that I was able to read. OBLIVION won’t be out until next year and I can’t wait to soak up what looks to be an extremely gorgeous experiment in graphic illustration.

Posted by at 18:580 comments

Wednesday August 4th, 2010

Joseph Kosinski's 'Oblivion' snapped up by Disney

Credit The Hollywood Reporter

“Oblivion,” the upcoming Radical illustrated novel from “Tron Legacy” director Joseph Kosinski (pictured), has found a home with Disney.

The sci-fi project will act as a Kosinski directing vehicle and will be produced by Radical principal Barry Levine and Kosinski. Radical's Jesse Berger will act as executive producer.

Kosinski partnered with Radical on the project in July 2009, although it was not set up at a studio. He spent the last year honing the story while putting the finishing touches on “Tron,” which is shaping up to be one of the most important movies for Disney in quite a while.

The story is set on a future Earth, where civilization lives above the clouds and alien scavengers stalk the irradiated surface below. When a surface drone repairman finds a woman inside a crashed spacepod planetside , it leads him on a journey filled with romance and adventure.

It was Kosinski’s relationship with Disney production topper Sean Bailey, who was a producer on ”Tron” before becoming president of production at the studio, that helped cement the deal, which is in the seven figures and is said to be one the largest rights deals of the year.

Other studios were interested in the property and Bailey wanted to keep Kosinski in the Disney fold. The filmmaker, repped by Verve and Anonymous Content, is developing a remake of “Black Hole,” whose latest draft is getting high marks inside the studio.

Radical, repped by CAA and David Schiff, is due to release “Oblivion” this fall.The company’s movie division has been on a roll lately, and most recently set up “Earp: Saints for Sinners,” with Sam Raimi attached to direct, at Dreamworks.

- Borys Kit

Click on the image below to go to the Hollywood Reporter for the story.

Posted by at 21:420 comments

Wednesday August 4th, 2010

Joseph Kosinski's 'Oblivion snapped up by Disney (exclusive)

“Oblivion,” the upcoming Radical graphic novel from “Tron Legacy” director Joseph Kosinski (pictured), has found a home with Disney.

The sci-fi project will act as a Kosinski directing vehicle and will be produced by Radical principal Barry Levine and Kosinski. Radical's Jesse Berger will act as executive producer.

Kosinski partnered with Radical on the project in July 2009, although it was not set up at a studio. He spent the last year honing the story while putting the finishing touches on “Tron,” which is shaping up to be one of the most important movies for Disney in quite a while.

The story is set on a future Earth, where civilization lives above the clouds and scavengers collect ancient
artifacts from the polluted surface below. When one young scavenger finds a crashed spacecraft planetside, it lead him on a journey filled with romance and adventure.

It was Kosinski’s relationship with Disney production topper Sean Bailey, who was a producer on ”Tron” before becoming president of production at the studio, that helped cement the deal, which is in the seven figures and is said to be one the largest rights deals of the year.

Other studios were interested in the property and Bailey wanted to keep Kosinski in the Disney fold. The filmmaker, repped by Verve and Anonymous Content, is developing a remake of “Black Hole,” whose latest draft is getting high marks inside the studio.

Radical, repped by CAA and David Schiff, is due to release “Oblivion” this fall.